Julio Hernández Cordón

Julio Hernández Cordón's daring new
feature demonstrates his versatility, an
ability to mix genres while retaining the
distinctive voice of his earlier films like
Marimbas from Hell and Dust. The story of
two skateboarders who become involved in
blood trafficking, Te prometo anarquía is at
once a joyous love story and a gritty vision of
Mexico City's dark side.

Newcomers Diego Calva and Eduardo
Martínez Peña, non-actors the director
found on Facebook, give outstandingly honest
and committed performances as young
lovers Miguel and Johnny. They skate with
their friends through the chaotic neighbourhoods
of Mexico City, they revel in their
blissful sexuality, and they make a bit of cash
in the illegal blood trade. A contact hooks
them up with some narcos — drug traffickers
who need black-market blood, since they
can't go to hospitals — and it seems like a
perfect way to make a lot of money. But the
scheme goes off the rails, and Miguel and
Johnny are in over their heads, their eyes
opened too late to the truly disturbing
underground network of clinics servicing
those injured in the drug wars.

Like Hernández Cordón's previous films,
Te prometo anarquía incorporates aspects
of documentary style, displaying a raw and
realistic aesthetic that reaches its peak in
the energetic scenes of skaters zooming
along Mexico City's streets. To this youthful
exuberance, he adds a layer of suspense and
elements of film noir, creating an original
work that is a shocking denunciation of
the situation in Mexico today. It's a chilling
reality check — yet, at its heart, Te prometo
anarquía is a film about the friendship and
love between young men, a sensual topic that
Hernández Cordón explores with tenderness
and sincerity.